AN: This chapter is the 'usual' length, approximately three pages. You know, I've noticed that recently, most of my previous chapters for PT have gotten longer…Hm, I get the feeling I mentioned this before. 

Thanks to…

dragonlady222: They aren't exactly slave traders…more like, muggers who sell people to slave traders. It isn't really explained in the story…I also hope Bakura finds Ryou, and soon. Wonder what will happen to the palace…Thanks for the review!

FlyingShadow666: Happy Birthday! (belated now, sorry) I hope you have a great year filled with lots and lots of good, er, stuff! (Memories sounded kind of corny…eheh ;;) What will happen to Ryou indeed…thanks for the review! Read on!

casaragi: lol. I don't mean to, it just all happens like that. And I think that's a great reason for them not to die! Heh, immortal Bakura, Marik, and Ryou!!! Thanks for the review!

Shamise: That's great to hear! Thanks for the review!

Anime WarriorSkye: I'm glad you found time to read it, even though you had a lot of work to do. (And yes, I did have lots of fun in Peru, thanks!!  ) Don't you hate it when computers crash? I remember when mine crashed in the middle of one of my stories…shudders Anyways, thanks for the review!

Chapter Twenty: Run

Ryou felt fear crawl up his body as the men drew closer. Out of desperation, he tried to run through a gap between of the men.

One of them swung his wooden bar right into Ryou's stomach. The others burst out laughing and howling as Ryou crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath. He clutched his midsection as he fought tears. Ryou couldn't help feeling downright pathetic as he silently cried for Bakura or Marik to come save him.

"Don't' fight them," Sera's soft voice begged. Ryou choked back a sob as one of the men roughly pulled him to his feet by his hair.

"What's going to happen to me?" Ryou whispered as hands searched him for valuables, finding nothing.

Sera looked at him with sad eyes, hesitating for a moment. "They're probably going to turn you over to people who deal in slavery…You're going to disappear."

Ryou stared at her as her words echoed in his mind. You're going to disappear…

"You caught a good one," a man with an axe said, nodding as he looked over Ryou. He stood apart from the rest, as the other four forced the boy's arms behind him. "Tie him up."

Sera came forward with a rope and bound Ryou's small hands together. The entire time, she avoided the child's black eyes. "Do you want me to muffle him as well?" The man shook his head. "It's done, Jarod," she said to the axe man.

"Let's take a look at him, then." Jarod knelt down to Ryou level and grabbed the boy's chin firmly. Ryou stared back at him with terrified brown eyes. Slowly, the prince's mind started to thaw from the shock. The man snickered, saying, "Look at him tremble!"

Ryou slammed his eyes shut and tried to stop shaking, but it was no use. He felt something warm trickle down his pants as Jarod tightened his grip.

"Quit crying, kid!"

Someone slapped him repeatedly on the cheek. "Hey, you gonna be a good boy?"

Ryou wanted to say yes, to plead the man to let him go. However, no words could escape his lips because he was crying so hard.

"Answer me, boy!"

The little prince saw the fist coming, and he screamed. He ducked the punch and ran underneath the arm. There was a yelp as Jarod nearly lost his balance from missing his mark. Ryou's attackers were taken by surprise, not expecting an escape, so Ryou had taken quite a few steps until they realized that they had to catch him.

His heart pounding and his breathing spastic, Ryou tried to scream for his thief. He had difficulty speaking, choking whenever he tried to scream something. Tears streamed down his cheek as he ran blindly down an alleyway, so frightened his mind was frozen.

Stumbling and tripping, but having no hands to keep his body stable, Ryou rammed into walls often in order to keep himself upright. He could hear the men crashing after him as he ran for all he was worth.

I'm going to die, Ryou cried, shaking uncontrollably as he fought for air. Never before had he run so much in his life. I'm going to disappear, and Bakura will never find me. Ryou's heart screamed in response to his last thought. To die, with the knowledge that no one was there for you…it was too painful, and to Ryou, it was the worst way to go.

Time rippled to a stop when the prince's legs gave underneath him. He flipped head over heels, and landed right on his back. He cried out as shock seized his body. From his position, he could see the men coming for him.

In a panic, Ryou mentally shouted, Don't make me disappear!

The first man to reach him was Jarod. With a vicious grin, he dug his hand into the child's snow mane and yanked hard, cussing vehemently.

Ryou was shoved to the left, though not hard enough to ram into the wall. He curled up into a ball as there were shouts behind him. Someone was shrieking, and then there was grunting and growling.

It hit him as odd. Ryou, still quivering all over, rolled to his side to see what exactly was going on.

Nothing clicked. All he saw were two of the four men slumped against a wall, with Jarod and another attacker standing side by side, crouched.

Ryou, gasping for breath, wrapped his arms around his stomach in hopes of cutting back some of the pain that tortured his body. However, he nearly stopped breathing when both Jarod and his last man broke apart, leaving a familiar white-haired thief standing.

Bakura.

The little prince wanted to cry in relief, but his body couldn't take any more. He just laid there as Bakura, brandishing two small blades in each hand, faced Jarod with his axe.

Needless to say, Bakura was ticked. Finding Ryou had been only a short-lived relief, since the part where the child being half dead wasn't supposed to happen. How come he wasn't able to find him earlier? Ryou must've been scared…I'm supposed to protect him! Bakura mentally scolded himself, tightening his grip on his weapons. No one hurts my prince!

Bakura dove in.

Ryou was stunned by the clear, murderous intent written all over Bakura's face. He would never tell anyone how happy it made him to know that Bakura had been concerned.

Jarod parried Bakura's blow with a large side-sweep with his blade. It looked to be heavier than an actual long sword, but the man swung the axe like it was a toothpick. Bakura nearly lost his balance from the contact alone, sliding at least a foot to the slide.

He had barely reestablished his footing when the axe came straight down for his head. Bakura gritted his teeth as he ducked, shoving his twin knives above his head in a cross block. There was a struggle for ground, Bakura pushing up and Jarod trying to bear down.

"Who the hell are you?" Jarod hissed, his arms quaking from the effort of trying to keep Bakura at bay.

"I'm the one who's going to kill you," Bakura growled, his lavender eyes flashing. With a grunt, Bakura swiftly slid his blades away as he dropped low and swept a foot across Jarod's legs, sending him crashing.

Jarod's felt his weapon fly out of his hands as he was thrown back. The axe smashed into two upon glancing off the alley wall. He made a choking noise as he attempted to scramble away, never really getting to his feet.

"Who are you?" he shouted, his voice incredulous. This man, this…thief…he could move unbelievably fast. To be able to slide underneath a blade and knock a man down while Jarod himself tried to slice his head in two.

"I already told you." Bakura angrily slammed a hilt of one of his blades into the man's temple, knocking him out.

He stood there, in the middle of four sprawled men, panting. His left hand immediately dropped the knife it held. Bakura clenched his teeth as the pain from the metal plate burned and seared his entire left side.

Sheathing both of the small swords, Bakura nursed his throbbing left hand as he quickly made his way to Ryou, calling the prince's name.

"You idiot!" he said, yanking the child into his arms. "Do you have any idea how pissed I am?" The little prince, struggling to keep his eyes open, sobbed. He tried to apologize, but no words came out. Ryou felt terribly guilty until he noticed that Bakura was crying, too. "I think I'm more pissed with myself, than with you…" As Bakura defiantly rubbed a hand against his face, he muttered, "Keep making me look bad, and I'll never forgive you."

Ryou would have laughed at Bakura's last comment if his body hadn't been so worn. He tried to speak again when three words shattered the moment.

Sera loomed behind Bakura, her eyes red. She fell to her knees as she screamed, "You killed them!"

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AN: Wow, intense chapter. Please review! I'll have the next chapter up by Saturday. Thanks for reading!